A 1999 biography of Charles Merrill, the founder of the world's largest brokerage and investment firm.

The financial crisis that began in 2008 has made Americans keenly aware of the enormous impact Wall Street has on the economic well-being of the nation and its citizenry. How did financial markets and institutions-commonly perceived as marginal and elitist at the beginning of the twentieth century-come to be seen as the bedrock of American capitalism? How did stock investment-once considered disreputable and dangerous-first become a mass practice? Julia Ott tells the story of how, between the rise of giant industrial corporations and the Crash of 1929, the federal government, corporations, and financial institutions campaigned to universalize investment, with the goal of providing individual investors with a stake in the economy and the nation. As these distributors of stocks and bonds established a broad, national market for financial securities, they debated the distribution of economic power, the proper role of government, and the meaning of citizenship under modern capitalism. By 1929, the incidence of stock ownership had risen to engulf one quarter of American households in the looming financial disaster. Accordingly, the federal government assumed responsibility for protecting citizen-investors by regulating the financial securities markets. By recovering the forgotten history of this initial phase of mass investment and the issues surrounding it, Ott enriches and enlightens contemporary debates over economic reform.

In the long run, economies grow. Over the shorter-term business cycle, economic activity contracts and expands. From Main Street to Wall Street examines both the long-run relation between economic growth and stock returns and the shorter-term business-cycle relation. It examines the complex relationship between the economy and the stock market, and guides readers through the fascinating interaction between economic activity and financial markets. From Main Street to Wall Street draws heavily on data, supporting academic theories with empirical facts, and backing up arguments in intuitive ways. It discusses how investors can use knowledge of economic activity and financial markets to formulate expectations to future stock returns, and helps scholars and practitioners navigate financial markets by understanding the economy.

In our new book we show investors on Main Street how to make money by renting their stocks! That's right! Investors can actually "rent" stocks in their portfolios by trading covered call options. This conservative investment strategy allows investors to generate extra cash flow in their portfolios. The covered call options strategy is so safe, it is suitable for most retirement accounts. By the time you finish reading this book, you will agree that this conservative investment strategy is indeed bulletproof! ************************************* Ms. Mack has an extraordinary ability to explain complex financial subjects with the use of simple examples and analogies. The covered call strategy is one that can be taken advantage of by anyone who currently owns or is contemplating owning shares of most companies. Much higher earnings and returns are awarded to persons who astutely engage in this basic option strategy. --- Gustavo Ayala, Director of Power Trading, Bolt Energy A thorough review of the latest in sustainable financial innovation which seeks to protect a wider sector of the economy - including those historically ignored by more 'mainstream' finance - from unprecedented yet still rising risks facing investors, savers and institutions. Dr. Mack and her team have produced an impressive text which synthesizes a rarely detailed discussion of recent crises, established finance and strategy pedagogy, and a welcomed approach to offsetting said risks - all the while prudently seeking alpha. --- Pye Ian, MBA - Economic Analyst and Private Equity Investment Advisor Under current monetary policy paradigm, the authorities permanently convert someone's private failures into public debts thus transferring public wealth into private pockets at their choice. The whole debt pyramid is huge, drags the economy down but still growing. What can we do about that? Doctor Iris Mack and her graduate students team suggest to invest in ourselves, our knowledge & understanding, better family asset management practices and more sophisticated individual financial behavior. Spend your time on your training, the most practical approach is guaranteed. Surely, this will not work the next day, however, recall 'the rescue of drowning - the handiwork of drowning'. Just add this book to your personal Survival Kit. --- Alexei Kazakov, PhD - Former Hedge Fund Manager Dr. Mack has managed to demonstrate the link between economics and a powerful option strategy. Using numerous comparisons and visuals, this book is a must read for anyone who wants to take control of their financial future. Highly recommended for every business library. --- Michael C. Thomsett, PhD - Options Author and Educator Dr. Iris Mack�s book 'A Wall Street Bailout for Main Street' is a must read for anyone wishing to learn, generate extra income, and gain a fighting chance in the harsh Wall Street environment! It is written in such a friendly way that even a person with no experience in the topic can easily read it and understand it completely. Step by step the author takes you by the hand through a very precise trading strategy using great illustrations and exercises, making it easier to grasp even the more complex concepts. --- David Trevino Trevino, MBA - Investor Dr. Iris Mack has written a must-read primer for anyone who wants to survive and succeed in today's highly complex market. It's a great gateway to become a professional in investment and risk management. Any Main Street investor serious about making money ought to read it. --- Cheng Wang, MBA - former Energy Commodities Analyst of TechMotion Capital

Is Wall Street bad for Main Street America? "A well-told exploration of why our current economy is leaving too many behind." —The New York Times In looking at the forces that shaped the 2016 presidential election, one thing is clear: much of the population believes that our economic system is rigged to enrich the privileged elites at the expense of hard-working Americans. This is a belief held equally on both sides of political spectrum, and it seems only to be gaining momentum. A key reason, says Financial Times columnist Rana Foroohar, is the fact that Wall Street is no longer supporting Main Street businesses that create the jobs for the middle and working class. She draws on in-depth reporting and interviews at the highest rungs of business and government to show how the “financialization of America”—the phenomenon by which finance and its way of thinking have come to dominate every corner of business—is threatening the American Dream. Now updated with new material explaining how our corrupted financial sys­tem propelled Donald Trump to power, Makers and Takers explores the confluence of forces that has led American businesses to favor balance-sheet engineering over the actual kind, greed over growth, and short-term profits over putting people to work. From the cozy relationship between Wall Street and Washington, to a tax code designed to benefit wealthy individuals and corporations, to forty years of bad policy decisions, she shows why so many Americans have lost trust in the sys­tem, and why it matters urgently to us all. Through colorful stories of both “Takers,” those stifling job creation while lining their own pockets, and “Makers,” businesses serving the real economy, Foroohar shows how we can reverse these trends for a better path forward.

Local Dollars, Local Sense is a guide to creating Community Resilience. Americans' long-term savings in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, pension funds, and life insurance funds total about $30 trillion. But not even 1 percent of these savings touch local small business-even though roughly half the jobs and the output in the private economy come from them. So, how can people increasingly concerned with the poor returns from Wall Street and the devastating impact of global companies on their communities invest in Main Street? In Local Dollars, Local Sense, local economy pioneer Michael Shuman shows investors, including the nearly 99% who are unaccredited, how to put their money into building local businesses and resilient regional economies-and profit in the process. A revolutionary toolbox for social change, written with compelling personal stories, the book delivers the most thorough overview available of local investment options, explains the obstacles, and profiles investors who have paved the way. Shuman demystifies the growing realm of local investment choices-from institutional lending to investment clubs and networks, local investment funds, community ownership, direct public offerings, local stock exchanges, crowdfunding, and more. He also guides readers through the lucrative opportunities to invest locally in their homes, energy efficiency, and themselves. A rich resource for both investors and the entrepreneurs they want to support, Local Dollars, Local Sense eloquently shows how to truly protect your financial future--and your community's.